By A Thread
by Rh1noa-Lun3r
Summary: After a demon attack leaves Grell hospitalized, William searches to eliminate the attackers, and digs up some new information about his colleague. Past thoughts come flooding back to him from the academy days, and William starts to realize what has been happening all along.
1. It All Goes Wrong

**_September 23_**

 ** _10:08:34 AM_**

William T. Spears had finally completed the night previous' work, only to glance at the clock hanging above the office door to see that he was already a little over two hours behind. With a sigh, he began dialing the number on the extension line phone to the assistant desk.

"Hello, Shinigami Dispatch Organization Office level 3, how may I help you?"

"Leanne-"

"Oh! Mr. Spears, I am so sorry, I didn't look at the number before answering, I-"

"It's fine. I would like you to bring a pot of tea to my office...actually, on second thought, never mind." As he began thinking, he needed a break from his paperwork. He would go down to the dispatch cafeteria for his morning caffeine, something he rarely did.

"Okay, no pot of tea to be made, on it!"

As William hung up the phone, he couldn't help but wonder why they put Leanne at the assistant desk to his office. Maybe because he was emotionless and harsh, and she was energetic and sweet? The young reaper certainly was popular with the others. Her shoulder length, chestnut hair spiraling from the roots in soft curls, pairing excellently with the bright, jade green eyes hidden behind dark spectacles had the others stationed on the floor drooling. William had to admit that she wasn't a terrible worker (unlike some he knew quite well) and got her work done efficiently. This also meant warning William when a certain redhead decided to twirl into his office unexpectedly.

The assignment manager walked to the cafeteria, pouring himself a cup of tea before settling into a chair in the corner of the room. He picked a newspaper up off the table and flipped it open, and rolled his eyes at the idiotic things the mundanes did. William often had to remind himself that he was once a lowly human too, so long ago. Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted as a flash of crimson came into his peripheral view.

"Good morning, Will~!"

"Hello Grell."

The redhead grinned as he plopped himself into the chair across from William, brushing the hair from his face. The reaper was excited, for today he would be going on another of his _special_ assignments, not that he was permitted by the higher-ups to tell any of the details to anyone, though it made him a pretty penny in the end. Earlier that morning he had found a note from Alexander Lawrence, the high-ranking official who was in charge of what the reapers liked to call "pest control", more specifically meaning anything or anyone who tried to delay or annul the collections of human souls. The redhead had quickly (but cleanly) sliced the letter open to see:

 _Mr. Grell B. Sutcliff -_

 _An assignment has arisen that meets the certain...qualifications for there to be prolonged involvement of the reaper kind. The target, Mary Ann Kelly, aged 19 years, will die at 12:07 P.M. on September 23 of this year. The file looks as such where she will immediately be surrounded by more than one of the demonic species. After retrieving the soul of the target, it is requested that you stay and keep watch of the species and note any particular behaviors and/or conduct they hold themselves with._

 _You were chosen for this assignment by me specifically, you know why._

 _The reward for doing the assignment adequately will be as normal._

 _Happy Reapings_

 _\- A. R. Lawrence_

The envelope was tucked safely inside the inside pocket of his waistcoat, where he had placed it before coming to the cafeteria to catch up on any missed gossip before heading out to the field.

"Why are you down here at such an early hour? It is surprising you even came out of your cave of an office~" Grell teased, knowing William wouldn't take it personally, for even he knew that most of the hours of the day were spent in that office, in the tall black chair behind the mahogany desk, normally with a stack of papers piled in front of him.

"I decided that I should take a break now before starting on a new section of paperwork. I have to look through every single report and correct mistakes. No doubt there will be at least one thing wrong on each page of yours, Sutcliff?"

"Oh, how you wound me with those cruel words of yours~ Maybe I would correct them now if I weren't headed out to the field in just a bit. A poor teenage girl, suffering from blood loss on Greenwich Avenue a few miles from here."

"Then I won't keep you, since you are so very busy." William had finished the last of his tea and stood, placing the cup in the ' **RETURN'** station. He glanced back at Grell before heading back to his office, sitting down and beginning on yet another stack of papers. He needed no interruptions and complete silence if he were ever going to get all of it done by the end of the day, and there was no way he would willingly spend another night here with overtime.

A few hours later, however, that was proven to not be able to happen, as a rapid knocking sounded on his door. He rushed to open it, angrily huffing at the reaper in training on the other side.

"What in the bloody hell is it, Knox?"

The dyed blonde haired reaper stood there for but a moment, panting; he had run all the way here.

"Mr. William...It's Senior Sutcliff, they told me to get you right away!"

* * *

Alright, so there's chapter one! Let me know what you think! Review, share, whatever tickles your fancy~

Just an fyi: I know that not all of the ideas in here are mine, some may have come from other fanfictions I've read in the past but I am not sure. If they have, and you recognize it, please tell me and I will fix the error promptly.

:)


	2. Surgery

**Just a little 'before the story you actually came here to read' thing:**

 **Thank you to those of you who favorited, followed, and commented!**

 **I'm quite grateful, especially being a new(er) writer.**

 **And with that, on with the show!**

 _ **September 23**_

 ** _01:13:28 PM_**

A million thoughts ran through William T. Spears' brain as he heard Ronald speak.

Was Grell hurt? How badly? Surely he'd live…he is a grim reaper after all. Born from death, it wasn't the easiest to eradicate one. He needed to get to his subordinate fast, not because it was Grell Sutcliff…no, because he was technically responsible - to an extent - for what happens out in the field to his reapers. Not to mention the fact that he was already dealing with another medically incapacitated reaper.

"Lets go, then. I'm guessing he's just returned to the dispatch, yes?" Staring Ronald in the eye, William focused only on covering the fear and concern in his voice with the twang of annoyance and bitterness. It seemed to have worked, given the slight cringe delineated by the junior. William didn't want to care, or maybe he did. The Grell he used to know in the academy had been nothing like the Grell he knew now; something had changed dramatically. For the past century (give or take a few decades) he had been wondering about what had impacted him so much to change his entire demeanor.

"No, sir. He hash't returned yet. He disappeared off of the map…right when he was surrounded by….by the.." The blonde glanced down, his breath catching as he tried to speak the words nobody wanted to hear, especially William, seeing his ever apparent hatred of the species concerned. The younger reaper took a few breaths, feeling the heavy gaze glaring down upon him awaiting an answer. "The demons. At least five of them." The next thing he knew, William had already transported away from his sight. He thought it best to not go to the same place. Quite honestly, Ronald didn't want to know whether Grell, his senior and mentor, was alive or dead. He wanted to remember the bright, outgoing man who had just talked to him this morning. And they would talk later tonight as well, just like they always did, right?

Wrong.

Having the experience and common sense of teleportation, William waited a second before dashing off to the board room. He had been there before, but never in a situation such as this one. Realizing that he probably looked and seemed completely out of sorts, he took a few moments to calm himself down and put on his typical stern, uninterested face outside the door before turning the handle and swiftly walking inside.

"Has he come up?"

The team knew exactly what he was talking about, and had an answer that he would appreciate. "Yes, he was off the grid for almost three minutes, but he is back on now. It looks to be as though he is fighting the demons, and as I know you are aware of, it is not a good idea."

"Send at least five of the elite reapers to his location. Do not allow him to stay and fight any further. He must have significant injuries, taking on that many at a time. Go. Now!" William could easily be labeled by any of the surrounding reapers as stressed, the lines on his forehead creasing with every glance down through his orthodox spectacles. Following his orders, the tracking department of reapers focused their attentions to sending the best reapers - who were available - to Vandon Passage, the alleyway where the attack had occurred. Within minuets a team was sent to the location, and the seconds ticked by agonizingly slow in the now silent room. That is, until the screen began blinking. Grell was transporting back to the dispatch.

The redheaded shinigami stumbled through the doorway on the third level of the dispatch. A confound Leanne jumped from her desk to help him, noticing that he was covered in what seemed to be blood. It was matted into his hair, soaking through his normally pressed and crisp white shirt, staining it a scarlet color not far off from the hue of his hair. It was then that she realized the blood was his own, upon looking at his arms, leg, and ripped shirt. A loud thunk pulled her from the focus and shock of the sight before her; the chainsaw Grell had been holding fell to the ground as his strength weakened. The young reaper knew she had to find help. Fast.

"Mr. Sutcliff! Are you alright? I need to get you to the clinic immediately."

"Me..? Ah, no need for that. I'm just fine, a little sleepy is all…"

And with that, he collapsed to the floor, unconscious, not breathing, completely still. Leanne rushed to her desk, calling the doctors with a frantic voice, not taking an eye off of Grell the entire time. It was only her first year at the job, and she hadn't exactly signed up for being responsible for an injured reaper. A pair of doctors came promptly, carefully moving Grell's body onto a stretcher and transporting back to the hospital wing of the building. The brunette stood there shaking, not completely able to wrap her head around the situation. _He should have healed himself, right?_ But the man she saw was far from healed. His gaunt face, stunning green eyes, crimson red. The drops of blood that had fallen from the reaper's body were visible on the pale grey carpet near the desk. The small reaper went to the phone again, this time calling William's ambulatory phone, and telling him everything that had happened. Surely he would be on his way to the hospital immediately.

"He's in surgery right now, Mr. Spears. I cannot permit you to see him." Doctor Michael Jensen told William as he nearly sprinted into the wing.

"Will he be able to return to his duties?" From what he had heard his assistant say, Grell had not been in very good condition, not to mention the fact that he wasn't healing himself. William took a moment to think about why he cared so much about this reaper. Sure, he would be worried about any other reaper, because less people working meant overtime for him, and he couldn't have any more of that. It was not an option. No, Grell was special. William hated himself for having thought this, but it was true.

"Mr. Sutcliff is a rare case. We have only seen a few with injuries to the extent of his, and he also was not healing them himself. The only reason for this is that his subconscious brain did not want him to heal, and wanted him to die, and without his cooperation, I am afraid to say he will. Our surgeons are the best around, and I have full faith that they will perform their duties adequately without complication, but whether or not Grell is willing to heal is what makes all the difference." Gesturing to the clipboard that he was holding, the doctor begins to tell William the chances of survival based on what injuries had been endured. "Grell has received three major wounds to the chest with his own scythe. Scythe wounds are fatal, and these have cut deep into the chest and abdomen area. I am surprised he stayed conscious as long as he did, to be honest. He also received head injuries, one of them possibly having broken a nerve in the brain. The operation that the surgeons are doing has him being X-rayed for any signs of nerve damage, and if there is, we will have to make an incision across his head to get to the area in which the nerve is. If he survives and is able to return to his normal self, I will consider it a miracle."

"When will he be out of surgery?"

"About 10 minutes. But, he will not be responsive to any speaking or motion. It is better if he is left to heal, hopefully he will, for a few hours. I can call your office when it is alright to come down."

"Yes, please do. Thank you, and thank your surgeons for what they are doing." William left the clean, sterile room and went back to his office, quickly speaking with Leanne beforehand and making sure that she was still able to work after seeing what she did. After that, he couldn't keep his mind focused on paperwork, it was too difficult. He scrawled through mistakes and corrected them as he did any other day, but his mind kept wandering to the past. _'That was then, not now. Let it go.'_ He told himself these words many times, and eventually he was able to focus. That is, until his phone rang.

Leanne's voice rang through crisp and clear, "Mr. Spears, I have a call from Doctor Jensen waiting on the line."

"Direct him here immediately. Thank you." The seconds ticked by almost agonizingly slow as the doctor's phone was redirected.

"Mr. Spears, he is not awake or responsive to anything as of yet, but if you would like, you may visit, and I can tell you the details of the surgery." The doctor seemed almost..happy. This was a good thing, hopefully. After hanging up the phone, William finished the last set of paperwork neatly and without error, closed the file, and set off for the hospital wing.

 **So, I must apologize for not having been updating this story like I thought I would. I was like "oh yeah, every week! No problem!"**

 **But that was until I realized I have a job and actual things to do...**

 **I have not forgotten about this though, I promise!**

 **~Jenna~**


	3. Is He Alive?

_Hello, hello, my darlings~_

 _I haven't updated this fix in forever like my goodness._

 _But hey I'm back now! Continuing the story of Grell and William (my forever otp)_

 _Ignore me while I shamelessly advertise my other story, but if you want to read a not T rated fanfiction -wink wink- go check out my fanfiction 'To Be Loved by Darkness', it's a SebaCiel and a Grelliam fic, with a lot of lemon to sweeten your tastes._

 _And here is the next chapter of..._ ** _By a Thread_**

 _ **September 24**_

 ** _09:13:39 PM_**

"How is he?" It was a simple enough question, but William was anxious to get a reply, hopefully one that wouldn't knock his team down one more person. He had been here many times before, to see Alan Humphries, a young shinigami who had had the misfortune of contracting the Thorns of Death. William's fear was that, even if Grell survived, he might have contracted them as well. It all depended on what the girl's record had done once he began collecting it.

The soul had been collected and the record brought back to the dispatch; Grell must have gotten to it before the demons surrounded and attacked. Evidently, the demons were going after the delicacy that is a human soul. One that has been tortured, filled with bitterness and sorrow...The girl, he assumed, was a prostitute. There was no other reason for a teenager to be wandering the back alleys of Vandon Passage, especially none other to appeal to the likes of those contemptible creatures. Creatures that Grell had actually thrown himself at in the past, Sebastian Michaelis may have been a part of the attack. After all, Grell did always mention how his "Sebas-chan~!" was becoming more and more exasperated with him.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when the doctor responded, after checking in with the nurses. "He is alive, and doing fairly well for someone in his condition, though he is unconscious. The nerve damage was minor, and so we did not need to lacerate his scalp. Good thing too, we would have had to cut off his hair. Knowing Mr. Sutcliffe, he would be distraught without his locks. However, though there is not enough damage to require surgery, his speech patterns may be abate and he is more prone to seizures. When he recovers, there are medicines I can prescribe to him for that." Dr. Jensen smiled, which was a good sign. If he had been in a more severe mood, William would be the first to guess that things hadn't gone well, but Jensen was joking with him about Grell's cherished hair. Trying to lift his spirits. ' _Do I seem worried?'_ William contemplated if he looked worried in a business-like manner or not. The reaper hardened his expression into its normal, neutral state as the doctor continued speaking.

"The part we struggled with was the number of wounds to his chest and abdomen. His scythe is obviously a very destructive and lethal weapon, and the cuts show it. Since they were created by a scythe of his own kind, they refused to heal on their own. His internal organs were severed, which caused a lot of blood loss inside of his body. He was a sight...I'm so sorry that you had to witness it."

William didn't witness it however, it had been his assistant. He would check on her later; it was Grell he was worried about right now. "Will he live?" It was the question he didn't ant answered, but at the same time, he had to know. He would be down another reaper at least for a while as Grell recovered, _if_ he recovered. Alan and Eric had been quite the mess for him to straighten out, and he was already stricken with overtime up to his ears. All of the dispatched reapers were. William and his team had the work covered for the most part, but Grell was a big part of that. He was always the first one to agree to reap a soul nobody else wanted.

"Mr. Sutcliffe, as I mentioned before, is still unconscious. It is difficult to be certain if he will ever awaken, just because the severity of his injuries are enough to keep him under. Hopefully that is not the case, there have been reapers who are still living to this day who have survived attacks similar to his. Mr. Linden, up in Management, was run in with a scythe multiple different times, and he is in perfect condition to this day. I wouldn't worry, William. Grell is not an easily doused spirit; he won't let this bring him down. I'm sure of it." Dr. Jensen did what he could to calm William, for he could tell that the reaper was still slightly shaken over the thought that Grell might be dying. It was an expected reaction though, from anybody close to him. "You can see him if you would like, maybe talk to him for a bit. He is still able to hear you, and he might like having a friend."

As they walked through the hospital wing, William's thoughts lingered on the word 'friend'. They had been friends, very close friends, at one point. They had drifted because William had willed it to happen. They were coworkers now, nothing more. At least that is what he tried to convince himself. Doctor Jensen led him to a closed door. He opened it, and the sight was a difficult one to see. Grell was lying in the hospital bed, completely stilled. He seemed to be lacking color, to say the least. His hair was still there, but the rest of his being was pale, almost white in color. The hospital gown did nothing to relieve that either, the plain garment covered by plain blankets.

As William walked closer, he could see just how sickly his colleague looked. He looked like a ghost, IVs prodding his arms in about three different locations, his chest barely rising as he faintly breathed. William couldn't bear looking at him for long. "I should contact Ronald and tell him about this. He should hear the good news that Sutcliffe is alive. May I come back later to check on his condition?"

"Of course. Visitation is limited to only you at the moment, but I can allow Mr. Knox to see him as well. I remember the last time Mr. Sutcliffe was in here to wrap up his arm from a minor conundrum with a trainee's scythe, he couldn't stop talking about how Ronald was his most promising student. But I will have to restrict anyone else."

"That is fine, thank you. And thank you for all of the work you and your surgeons have done. I am truly grateful. Hopefully he'll pull through." William left the room, walking up the stairs to his office, remembering Leanne as he opened the stairway door. He walked up to her desk and waited for her to finish typing her sentence.

"Mr. Spears! Sorry, my brain was on a train of thought and I couldn't stop it otherwise it would have theoretically crashed and that-"

William cut her off; he didn't have the patience at the moment to deal with any ramblings. His mind was running every direction, and he could only handle one thing at a time. "It's fine. I wanted to check on how you were after...what you saw earlier."

"O-oh, that, uhm, yes, I'm fine. At the time it was slightly petrifying...I..I didn't know what to do. He looked on the verge of dying, but that can't be, can it? I mean, he's already technically dead. We all are..." Her bright emerald eyes were tearing up, she was about to cry. "Please tell me he's okay."

"He is alive, yes, however he is unconscious. Whether he will stay that way is completely up to him I'm afraid. I am glad that you are alright. Once he is open to visitors, I will let you know." With that, William went back to his office. Sitting down in his chair, he sighed heavily before picking up his phone and dialing the number for Ronald Knox's cubicle phone. Trainees were given a stationary cubicle to complete their paperwork in while they weren't out on assignment. The phone rang twice before someone picked up.

"'Ello, Ronald Knox here." The answer was almost exhausted in sound. William knew it was because he was stressed about his senior, as any young reaper would be.

"Knox. It's Spears. I have information about your senior, Grell Sutcliffe, but first I must notify you that I will be the one you report to for the time being, as Sutcliffe is in the hospital wing." William's words were sharp, his cold exterior that everyone knew shining out.

"William-senpai! How is 'e? He's alive, right? And he's not going to die?" Ronald was excited to hear from William about his senior, though he wasn't overly happy about having to be William's trainee. He had to know that Grell was alright, he couldn't be given any more bad news now.

"He is alive. He's in the hospital wing, as I said before. Visitors are restricted to you and I for now, as he is unconscious. He was cut through several times with his own scythe when out on assignment. As he was collecting the soul, a team of demons showed up and proceeded to attack. He was taken out of surgery a few hours ago, but has remained comatose. I am sorry."

Ronald was shocked. He couldn't believe it, he didn't want to believe it. But he knew Grell was going to be okay. Life wouldn't be the same without him gossiping about the latest news, or helping him find a girlfriend after an assignment. He would have to visit his senior immediately, will him to awaken. As he thanked William and set down the phone, he was already on his way to the hospital wing.

* * *

 _Merry day-after-Christmas! I decided that with all of my extra time, I would not do anything productive and maybe write a little bit. Please leave reviews and tell me how you want it to turn out._

 _Because to be real, I haven't decided anything. Grell could live, he could die_

 _? idk._

 _Until next time~_


End file.
